Mark Ingram doesn't mind one bit.
He doesn't care that he will play an unprecedented 18 consecutive weeks this season without a break, the result of being traded from the Houston Texans before their bye week to the New Orleans Saints, who had already had theirs.
Ingram also doesn't mind being the Saints' go-to guy in the absence of his injured good friend Alvin Kamara, who will miss his second straight game Sunday when the Saints play at the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Saints originally acquired Ingram to give Kamara some relief after backup Tony Jones went down with an injury. But with both Kamara and Jones injured, Ingram suddenly made his way to the top of the Saints' running back depth chart.
It's why he ended up with 18 touches (14 carries, 4 receptions) last week against the Tennessee Titans.
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"I don’t remember the last time I played that many snaps," Ingram said. "But it felt good not to have to look to the sideline after every single play to see if I'm staying in or going out. I got into a good rhythm, a good feel of the game. It was a good feeling.
"So my body felt good. Just typical game soreness. And I'll continue to recover and be ready to roll by Sunday. It feels good.”
That's a good thing considering few others on the Saints' offseason seem to be feeling that way. On Friday, the Saints ruled three offensive starters (Kamara and both tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk) out for Sunday's game. Taysom Hill is listed as questionable.
This game is a pivotal one for the Saints, who take a 5-4 record to Philadelphia with games against Buffalo and Dallas looming after this one. It's why the acquisition of Ingram three weeks ago could be the biggest move they made and could determine which way the season tilts. They'll likely need a big game from him, even bigger than the 108 yards (47 rushing, 61 receiving) he had last week.
"I thought he laid it out there," coach Sean Payton said after the game where Ingram became the Saints' all-time leading rusher by surpassing Deuce McCallister.
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It's a record that puts him in some exclusive company. He's one of just four players who has a Heisman Trophy and is currently a team's all-time leader in rushing. The other three are Barry Sanders (Detroit), Marcus Allen (Raiders) and Eddie George (Titans). Ingram won his Heisman in 2009, longer ago than any other current winner in the league.
“It’s just longevity," Ingram said. "It’s just being blessed with health and a work ethic, and a surrounding, supporting team. And I think that all kind of contributes and goes into it. So yeah, just still going. I feel good, feel like I’m playing some of my best football in my career right now."
He'd much rather having Kamara out there with him. No. 41 and No. 14 feed off each other now just the way they did as teammates in Kamara's first two seasons in 2017 and 2018.
"We kind of feed off each other," Ingram said. "I make a play, he wants to make a play. He makes a play, I want to make a play. We want to help the team win. I think that's just the basics of it. I’m going to hold it down. We’re all going to hold it down for him.”
Ingram is ready to shoulder as much of the load as he has to carry for an offense missing so much. He's willing to do so, even in a season where he will play 18 regular-season games. He played seven with the Texans before coming to the the Saints, who had 11 games left when he arrived.
"I get another game to run up some more yards," Ingram said. "So yeah, we’ll look at it like that.”
Every yard he gets now just adds to his franchise record, one that Kamara likely will break someday. While Ingram is appreciative of the record and the teammates and coaches who helped him get it, it's not his main focus.
"But it's one part of the journey, it’s one part of the story," he said. "And plan to continue moving, continue going. I'm going to stay on my routine, stay recovering, play hard, play my butt off, prepare my butt off."
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